Forest Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Prescribed Fire Regimes On White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Browse, Forage, And Nutrient Availability In The Pineywoods Ecoregion Of Texas, Wyatt L. Bagwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fire is a management tool for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) habitat, influencing browse availability, herbaceous production, and nutrient content. In 2020 and 2021, this study utilized 46 plots across East Texas to assess these habitat components. A stem count index survey method was used to assess browse utilization prior to April in both years, and preferred browse species were clipped and analyzed for nutrient availability, and herbaceous production was also measured. Additionally, white-tailed deer population data, browse survey data, and recent fire history were obtained from five different wildlife management areas to examine their relationship. Deer had preferences …

Soil Quality Indicators And Vegetation Responses Following Ecological Restoration Thinning Of Ponderosa Pine On Three Soil Parent Material Types Under Grazing And Non-Grazing In Northern Arizona, Christopher Macdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research was performed in a northern Arizona ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C., Lawson) forest. The objectives were to a) increase understanding of long-term vegetation responses to ecological restoration treatments on three soils types, with and without grazing, b) evaluate the responses soil physical, chemical, and biological properties to restoration treatments, with and without grazing, c) determine the utility of measured soil quality indicators to informing risks to sustainable soils management in southwestern ponderosa pine forests.

There were no significant differences in soil bulk density by soil type, treatment type, or grazing treatment. No significant differences …

Detection, Occupancy, Abundance, And Mercury Accumulation Of The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys Temminckii) In Texas, David Rosenbaum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land use practices and physical alterations of ecosystems result in habitat loss and fragmentation, while chemical alterations, such as pollutant input, reduce habitat quality and health of exposed organisms. Here, I investigated the effects of watershed- and local-scale environmental variables on the occupancy, abundance, and mercury accumulation of a threatened aquatic species (Macrochelys temminckii, i.e., alligator snapping turtle) within the southwestern periphery of its distribution. Hierarchical modeling suggested the distribution of the species is more affected by watershed-scale land-cover than local habitat, and provided a baseline estimate of average species abundance across its range in eastern Texas. Abundance …

Restoration Through Reassembly: Evaluating The Role Of Native Plants In Combatting Chinese Tallow, Olaniyi Ajala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Non-native, invasive species disrupt ecological processes and functions, posing a serious threat to natural ecosystems. By examining the growth metrics of the non-native, invasive tree, Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera [L.] Roxb.), hereafter tallow, across different flooding and light regimes, I investigated how restructuring native communities with valuable native species will prevent the reestablishment of tallow. I studied the changes in morphological and physiological traits of tallow when growing with water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica L.), sugarberry (Celtis occidentalis L.), and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall). I found that in the non-flooded and high irradiance treatments, tallow's growth …

Spatiotemporal Factors Affecting The Occupancy And Phenology Of A Declining Songbird (Bachman's Sparrow - Peucaea Aestivalis) At The Western Extent Of Its Range, Liam G. Wolff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) is a declining songbird that occurs throughout the southeastern United States. Bachman’s Sparrow is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Texas, but information crucial to management efforts, such as factors affecting their detectability and occupancy, is lacking. I investigated the predictors of Bachman’s Sparrow occupancy and phenology in Texas using detections from autonomous recording units coupled with site characteristics and weather data. My results indicate that Bachman’s Sparrow occupancy is associated with increasing herbaceous ground cover and decreasing basal area, distance to the nearest source population, and basal area when canopy height …

Conk1 - Forest Pathology Specimen, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Pathology specimen.